Book Descriptiion from Goodreads:
Spring 1940. With Britons facing what has become known as "the Bore War"—nothing much seems to have happened yet—Maisie Dobbs is asked to investigate the disappearance of a local lad, a young apprentice craftsman working on a "hush-hush" government contract. As Maisie’s inquiry reveals a possible link to the London underworld, another mother is worried about a missing son—but this time the boy in question is one beloved by Maisie

My Review: To Die but Once is a historical mystery set in London in late May of 1940. This is the 14th book in the series and spoils many previous events (though not mysteries) if you have not read those books.

The author wove information about World War II problems and events into the investigation, like the effort to rescue the soldiers stranded on the French beaches, spies, war profiteering, and secrets about the war that people kept blabbing. It annoyed me that the heroine kept telling people she would keep secrets about what was going on, then she'd tell everyone she met about them. She was very observant, though, and was able to piece together what was going on and turn that information over to the police.

There was no sex. There was occasional use of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting and complex mystery to people interested in what was going on during World War II.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
July 1831. It's been fifteen years since Sebastian Gage has set foot in Langstone Manor. Though he has shared little with his wife, Lady Kiera Darby, about his past, she knows that he planned never to return to the place of so many unhappy childhood memories. But when an urgent letter from his grandfather reaches them in Dublin, Ireland, and begs Gage to visit, Kiera convinces him to go.

All is not well at Langstone Manor. Gage's grandfather, the Viscount Tavistock, is gravely ill, and Gage's cousin Alfred has suddenly vanished. He wandered out into the moors and never returned. The Viscount is convinced someone or something other than the natural hazards of the moors is to blame for Alfred's disappearance. And when Alfred's brother Rory goes missing, Kiera and Gage must concede he may be right. Now, they must face the ghosts of Gage's past, discover the truth behind the local superstitions, and see beyond the tricks being played by their very own eyes to expose what has happened to Gage's family before the moors claim yet another victim.

My Review:A Brush with Shadows is a mystery set in 1831 in England. It is the sixth book in the series. You do not need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this book did not spoil the mysteries of the previous novels.

The historical and setting details that were woven into the story made it feel distinct to that time and place. The main characters acted realistically and were interesting people. The heroine lacked common sense and often rushed into danger, but she was observant in regard to possible clues. Her husband was a little dense when it came to suspecting people in his family home, which slowed his progress in solving the mystery. He dealt with emotional wounds from his childhood as well as the current mystery.

The couple asked questions and followed leads while avoiding danger, as someone was not happy that they were there. I initially thought the clues were pointing towards one person, but that changed near the end. At that point, only one person seemed to fit the clues who hadn't been "cleared," and, indeed, that was whodunit. So guessing whodunit is possible.

There were no sex scenes. There was a minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Years ago, the man who stole Catherine Winthrop's heart rejected her--and she's never recovered. Now tragedy has brought him back into her life. This time it isn't her heart he's taking, it's her home and her family's good name--and she has no one to share her grief.

Jonathan Carlew's life may look enviable from the outside--wealthy, handsome, landed. As he ascends to the barony, challenges await as his sense of responsibility is hard to fulfill when his relatives resent him. These two broken hearts must decide whether their painful past and bitter present will be all they can share, or if forgiveness can provide a path to freedom for the future.

My Review:Winning Miss Winthrop is a Christian romance set in 1816 England. I prefer romances where the main characters are better people for having met each other, and this author's previous books have had this. However, I can only describe these main characters as becoming worse people from having known each other.

The hero started out as kind and thoughtful of others, even those that he felt had offended him. However, he became harsh and controlling. His main fault was that he refused to listen to people and instead jumped to conclusions that made him miserable. He made poor decisions because he felt rejected and hurt. Also, inexplicably, he did nothing to correct things when friends and family started telling others that he's engaged to a young woman when it's not true.

I had a hard time liking the heroine, and many of her actions didn't make sense to me. She started out thinking of others, but she became rude and guided by her emotions. She justified her behavior by feeling she was just saying the truth or that society's rules weren't fair. She behaved inappropriately then dealt with the resulting gossip in ways that just made it worse. For example, she tells people that she is engaged to a nice man hoping that will stop gossip. Only she fully intends to later break that engagement, which will only ruin her reputation more, which she doesn't seem to consider. Also, she frequently jumped to wrong conclusions about the hero's actions.

Despite only having known each other for a short period several years in the past, both the hero and heroine feel that they could not love any other despite the ever-increasing hurtful actions of the other. They seem to feel that a romantic moment in time indicates a true and lasting love. The misunderstandings between the two continued all the way up to the last scenes, and there's no reason to believe that their communication will be any better after they marry. Frankly, I'm disappointed that a Christian book is promoting this relationship as a romantic ideal.

The Christian element was a few prayers to God when they got themselves in trouble. There was no sex or bad language.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Book Description from Goodreads:
On her way to San Francisco to find her brother, Caleb, who went missing three months ago, Camriann Coulter meets Judith and Kenzie, who both have their own mysteries to solve in the booming West Coast city. The women decide to help each other, including rooming together and working at Kenzie's cousin's chocolate factory.

Camri's search for her brother, an attorney, leads her deep into the political corruption of the city--and into the acquaintance of Patrick Murdock, a handsome Irishman who was saved from a false murder charge by Caleb. Patrick challenges all of Camri's privileged beliefs, but he knows more about what happened to her brother than anyone else. Together, they move closer to the truth behind Caleb's disappearance. But as the stakes rise and threats loom, will Patrick be able to protect Camri from the dangers he knows lie in the hidden places of the city?

My Review:In Places Hidden is a Christian romance set in 1905 in San Francisco. The story follows three women--Camri, Judith, and Kenzie--but this book mainly focused on Camri's search for her missing brother.

The characters were well-developed, complex people who grew throughout the story. Camri was brought up in a progressive household that promoted education and women's rights. Now Camri gets to know people with different priorities or who are dealing with things like racial prejudice, where education isn't primarily what's needed or wanted.

Her brother has angered the corrupt, powerful men of the city, but it's not clear if he's alive somewhere or dead or even who is behind his disappearance. His friends help Camri in her search for her brother. In the end, it's clear that God has been working behind the scenes to bring about good from what was intended for evil.

The historical and setting details were naturally woven into the story. This is the type of story that feels like it really could have happened. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable story.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Catherine Whitfield is sure that she will never again be able to trust anyone in the medical profession after the town doctor's excessive bleeding treatments killed her mother. Despite her loneliness and her broken heart, she carries bravely on as Cimarron Creek's dutiful schoolteacher, resigned to a life without love or family, a life where dreams rarely come true.

Austin Goddard is a newcomer to Cimarron Creek. Posing as a rancher, he fled to Texas to protect his daughter from a dangerous criminal. He's managed to keep his past as a surgeon a secret. But when Catherine Whitfield captures his heart, he wonders how long he will be able to keep up the charade.

With a deft hand, Amanda Cabot teases out the strands of love, deception, and redemption in this charming tale of dreams deferred and hopes becoming reality.

My Review:A Borrowed Dream is a Christian historical romance set in 1881. This is the second book in a series, but it works as a standalone since it has different main characters. I enjoyed how historical detail was woven into the story creating a distinct sense of time and place.

Both the hero and heroine were kind, thoughtful, and caring people. They brought out the best in each other and were better people for having met each other. The heroine was wary of doctors because the local doctor harmed her mother when she was sick. The hero is a doctor who has a talent for healing, but he's on the run from a criminal who is trying to force him to do something illegal. While getting to know each other, they faced several difficult events that involved helping others and which unintentionally brought danger into town. I loved that the heroine was very brave in stressful situations.

Both main characters followed God wholeheartedly though imperfectly. They dealt with issues like forgiveness and loving others when they aren't lovable. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable story.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Book Description from NetGalley:
Set against the backdrop of WW1, Mayfair 100 is the telephone number for a small specially-formed crimebusting team based in a house in Mayfair. London, 1915. Just 10 months into the First World War, the City is flooded with women taking over the work vacated by men in the Armed Services.

Chief Inspector Peter Beech, a young man invalided out of the war in one of the first battles, is faced with investigating the murder of an aristocrat and the man’s wife, a key witness and suspect, will only speak to a woman about the unpleasant details of the case. After persuading the Chief Commissioner to allow him to set up a clandestine team to deal with such situations, Beech puts together a small motley crew of well-educated women and professional policemen.

As Beech, Victoria, Caroline, Rigsby and Tollman investigate the murder, they delve into the seedier parts of WWI London, taking them from criminal gangs to brothels and underground drug rings supplying heroin to the upper classes. Will the Mayfair 100 team solve the murder? And if they do, will they be allowed to continue working as a team?

My Review:Murder in Belgravia is a mystery set in 1915 in London. Chief Inspector Peter Beech is confronted with a suspect who refuses to see a male doctor for her life-threatening injuries or to talk to a male policeman about the murder of her husband. Happily, he's good friends with a woman doctor and with a high-born woman who trained as a lawyer. They help him with the suspect but doubt she killed her husband even though she confesses to it. But who is she protecting?

Beech gets permission to form a secret team to deal with this crime and future serious crimes involving women. The team includes these two women and two other men. They each have skills that the others don't, work well together, and share a desire to find justice for victims. The characters were likable, compassionate people. The author worked the changes that occurred due to WWI into the murder investigation.

The mystery was clue-based. The team asked questions and followed up leads until they finally uncovered the truth. They were smart and had good hunches, but it took some work as they had to track down some of the witnesses. There were no sex scenes. There was some bad language. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery kept me engaged, so I'd recommend this novel.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Mercy McClain joined the school board to protect the children of Teaville, Kansas, from the bullying she experienced as a child. When the worst offender from her school days applies for a teaching position, she is dead set against it. Yet Aaron Firebrook claims to be a changed man. Can he earn Mercy's trust--and her support for the challenges to come?

My Review:A Chance at Forever is a Christian romance set in 1909 in Kansas. It's the third book in a series. This book wrapped up two side romances that have been building throughout the series, but it still worked fine as a stand-alone novel. Each romance was prevented from moving forward due to events in the past that need to be forgiven.

The main romance was between Mercy and the man who bullied her when they were children. He was abused by someone and in turn bullied others. Now he has returned to make things right after accepting Christ. He's trying to earn forgiveness from those he wronged and change his behavior through willpower. With Mercy's help, he realizes he needs to allow God to transform him from the inside and to accept the gift of forgiveness. We only see him as an honest, hardworking man, just one struggling with guilt and discouragement because he can see the damage his bullying did to Mercy and others. He encouraged Mercy to see her value and not believe the hurtful things he said in the past.

The author dealt with complex issues in a natural way that drove the events of the story. The changed people showed that change in their lives even though they still made mistakes. Other characters struggled to trust that those people had really changed or to decide how to deal with those who weren't interested in changing. The characters acted realistically and were complex and likable.

There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this well-developed, engaging book.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
After Special Agent Adam Whitfield’s ex-wife is nearly killed when she stops an abduction, the serial killer that Adam’s been hunting turns his focus on Charlotte Murray for getting in his way. Now, as the Night Stalker closes in, Adam has two missions: bring the murderer to justice and save Charlotte—because failure isn’t an option.

My Review:Night Stalker is a Christian suspense novel. Charlotte stops a serial killer from kidnapping his intended target but gets hurt in the process. Since the killer's target is out of reach, he takes his anger out on Charlotte. Special Agent Adam left Charlotte after the loss of their young son because he couldn't deal with her grief. But he still loves her and regrets what he did. He's a profiler with the group tasked with stopping this serial killer. He's determine to protect his ex-wife and stop the killer once and for all.

The characters were nice people who care about others. I liked that Charlotte was courageous enough to help others and kept her promises. She worried that Adam would win her heart again only to leave her when the case was over. The suspense came from the attacks on various people while the FBI tried to figure out the killer's identity and capture him. The Christian theme was that God is there even in our darkest times. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable suspense novel.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Book Description from NetGalley:
After a harrowing experience with an obsessed patient, oncology nurse practitioner Leigh Weston needed a change. She thought she'd left her troubles behind when she moved home to Carrington, North Carolina, and took a job in the emergency department of the local hospital. But when someone tampers with her brakes, she fears the past has chased her into the present. She reaches out to her high school friend turned homicide investigator, Ryan Parker, for help.

Ryan finds satisfaction in his career, but his favorite way to use his skills is as a volunteer underwater investigator with the Carrington County Sheriff's Office dive team. When the body of a wealthy businessman is discovered in Lake Porter, the investigation uncovers a possible serial killer--one with a terrifying connection to Leigh Weston and deadly implications for them all.

My Review:Beneath the Surface is a Christian romantic suspense novel. The cops find the body while doing a training dive session. The rest of the investigation occurs above water. The hero asked the heroine if he can use her dock to access the lake. Though the victims of the serial killer are middle-aged men, the heroine is suddenly the target of someone and it seems connected with the search for the serial killer.

The suspense comes from the the repeated attacks on the heroine and some exciting scenes in the hospital, where the heroine worked in the emergency department. The main characters were caring people who reacted realistically to the situations. I cared about what happened to them. The hero and heroine had been attracted to each other since they were young, but the situation brought them together romantically.

The hero and heroine struggled with the question of why God allowed bad things to happen to one person but not another. The hero was a Christian, but the heroine wasn't sure if she trusted God even though her adoptive parents had. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I would recommend this enjoyable, exciting suspense novel.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
When stable hand Nolan Price learns from his dying mother that he is actually the son of the Earl of Stainsby, his plans for a future with kitchen maid Hannah Burnham are shattered. Once he is officially acknowledged as the earl's heir, Nolan will be forbidden to marry beneath his station.

Unwilling to give up the girl he loves, he devises a plan to elope--believing that once their marriage is sanctioned by God, Lord Stainsby will be forced to accept their union. However, as Nolan struggles to learn the ways of the aristocracy, he finds himself caught between pleasing Hannah and living up to his father's demanding expectations.

My Review:A Most Noble Heir is a Christian historical romance set in 1884 in England. The historical and setting backdrop details were basically correct, though the main characters had some modern attitudes. The main characters acted realistically and were fairly complex.

Hannah was very insecure. Nothing her husband did could prove his love for her. She would tell him to spend time getting to know his father, secretly hoping he would spend his full attention on her instead. She made no attempt to learn how to be a lady while agreeing that Nolan learn to become a noble. Essentially, she sabotaged her relationship because she didn't feel lovable and was sure her husband would abandon her. She had to work through the roots of these feelings of insecurity.

Nolan was proud and had a quick temper, like his father, so their relationship was very stormy. They had to build a relationship while struggling over Nolan's marriage, which his father did not approve of even though he had done a similar thing with Nolan's mother when he was young.

The minor amount of bad language was written in a "he cussed" style rather than the actual words. There were no graphic sex scenes, though the newly married couple were shown passionately kissing. Overall, I would recommend this enjoyable romance.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

About Me

My name is Debbie. I'm a single female in my thirties. I have three book review blogs: one for well-written, clean fiction; one for nonfiction (memoirs, history, military, religion, and social issues); and a book club for Christian nonfiction.

My other review blogs

Why this blog?

I like to read, but it can be hard to find clean mainstream fiction anymore. Hopefully this blog will help others who have similar reading tastes to find clean novels to read.

In my reviews, I try to point out elements that I think readers may wish to know which might influence their decision to read a book. I'm not trying to convince people not to read a book as I'm fully aware that some things which bother me won't bother others at all. So if a book sounds fun to you, certainly give it a try!

Disclosure StatementI'm not paid to review books. I do receive free review copies from publishers, authors, etc., but I also review books I've bought or checked out of the library. I review all books by the same standard, no matter the source. My readers are assuming I am, and the publishers expect it.